Dog days of summer for Goldeyes

Goldeyes’ starter Charle Rosario threw seven scoreless innings to earn his second win of the year. Rosario walked two and struck out four.

Jordan Edgerton doubled home Josh Mazzola with two outs in the bottom of the second to give Winnipeg a 1-0 lead.

The Goldeyes stretched the lead to 4-0 with three runs in the fifth. Jordan Ebert coaxed a bases loaded walk from Chicago starter Michael Wagner. Kevin Garcia followed with a two-run single on an 0-2 count that ushered in Andrew Sohn and Reynaldo Rodriguez.

Jonathan Moroney cut the lead in half with a two-out, two-run double in the top of the eighth. Mazzola answered back with a solo home run for the Fish in the bottom of the inning.

Victor Capellan struck out two during a perfect ninth to earn his ninth save.

MEMORY LANE

Winnipeg native Donnie Smith is one of four Goldeyes’ to have his number retired. Who did Smith believe to be his toughest opponent during his eight years with the Fish?

“Greg Morrison owned me for years when he was with Duluth, and I was more than happy to see him come and strap on a Goldeyes’ uniform,” said Smith. “It probably dropped my ERA three points at least. We became pretty good friends. He’s another Canadian guy that did very well for himself in the minor leagues.”

The Saskatchewan-born Morrison played two seasons for the Goldeyes from 2003-04, combining for 40 doubles, 25 home runs, and 100 RBI in 169 games. Morrison collected more than 1,000 hits during his 12-year career.

HALL OF FAMER

Longtime Goldeyes general manager Andrew Collier was officially inducted into the Manitoba Baseball Hall of Fame last weekend. The announcement was first made in November, and the induction ceremony took place at the Hall of Fame in Morden.

“I’m happy for him,” said Goldeyes’ manager Rick Forney. “The guy works really hard. He’s obviously a huge part of what happens with the Goldeyes on a day-to-day basis. He’s a big reason for the overall success, and he’s deserving of every bit of this.”

Collier has been with the club since their inaugural season in 1994, and took over as general manager in 2002. As legend has it, the Portage la Prairie native won a job in the Goldeyes’ ticketing department after beating owner Sam Katz in a golf match.

SAW IT COMING

Sioux Falls Canaries’ left-hander Joe Bircher is in his fifth year with the club. Prior to joining the Canaries in 2014, the southpaw pitched two seasons in the Houston Astros’ organization.

In 2013, Bircher helped the Low-A Midwest League’s Quad Cities River Bandits to a championship, and played alongside several of the current Major League stars that led Houston to the 2017 World Series. The roster included wunderkind shortstop Carlos Correa, as well as pitchers Lance McCullers Jr. and Chris Devenski.

“It’s awesome,” Bircher said on his former teammates capturing the Astros’ first title in franchise history. “A lot of them were 19, 20 years old when I was playing with them. We were super young, but we had an incredible amount of talent. We spent the whole season together in Quad Cities, and to be able to raise that championship banner at the end of it was fantastic. I learned a ton from those guys, and it’s incredible to watch them now on TV. I couldn’t be happier for them.”

The veteran starting pitcher has enjoyed his tenure in the American Association.

“This is my fifth season in Sioux Falls, so it really turns into a second home,” said Bircher. “Even travelling to places like Winnipeg, I’ve been here a dozen times over the past five years. It’s an awesome town. I love being able to go around and travel. Winnipeg has good fans, so it’s fun to hear them razz us a little bit. It’s fantastic to get an opportunity to go everywhere in this league.”

UP NEXT

The Goldeyes opened a six-game homestand Friday when they host the expansion Chicago Dogs. The first 1,000 fans in attendance receive a replica version of the 2017 American Association championship ring. Saturday is the third annual Bark in the Park. The City of Winnipeg will try and break the Guinness World Records title for most dogs attending a sporting event. The Chicago White Sox set the record in 2016 with 1,122 dogs. The Goldeyes fell just 271 dogs short during the event last year. The Gary SouthShore RailCats follow the dogs for a three-game visit beginning Monday.

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